UConn should have no trouble at SMU, and Taurasi's 3-point record may fall

UConn reaches the midseason mark of its schedule Sunday at SMU, a team it beat by 51 points Dec. 27 at the XL Center. There is no reason to believe this game will be different.

Since the creation of the American Athletic Conference, the No. 2 Huskies (13-1, 3-0) have won their three meetings with the Mustangs by 145 points, an average of 48.3. And this season, SMU (4-10, 0-3) has lost seven straight, including an 18-point home loss to Houston on Jan. 3.

More than anything, the afternoon will likely provide the stage for Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis to make history by finally breaking Diana Taurasi's record for career three-pointers (318). Mosqueda-Lewis tied the mark in her 117th game — it took Taurasi 144 games — by making three in Wednesday's 98-60 win over Tulsa at the XL Center.

Mosqueda-Lewis had failed to make a three-pointer in her previous two games, something that had not happened to her before. But on Wednesday that quickly changed; she drilled two in the first 3:36 and then tied the mark 52 seconds into the second half.

"That would mean just one more time to talk about [setting the record]," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "Now it's not about beating the record anymore. Now I just have to play. I haven't been forcing the issue and it's not going to be something that's at the forefront of my mind. If we're all playing well, I know I won't have to force myself [to make three-pointers]."

UConn improved to 3-0 in American Athletic Conference play with a 98-60 win over Tulsa at the XL Center in Hartford Wednesday night. (John Woike)

Had the nature of the rout not compelled coach Geno Auriemma to turn to his bench early and often, which limited Mosqueda-Lewis to just 20 minutes, the record likely would have been in her pocket by now.

"Things like that happen because you get a lot of opportunities to play with some great players, to work on your game, be at a place where we share the ball so well," Auriemma said. "You get so many assists every game that if you are a great shooter and you play a lot, you are going to have a lot of opportunities to make shots.

"That doesn't mean you are going to make them. What [Mosqueda-Lewis] has done, what Diana did, is something that is very difficult to do. I know everybody wants to be seen as more than just a shooter; they want to be seen as a basketball player, and I am happy that she has become a much better basketball player."

1. Long conference season: After winning all 21 conference games last year (18 in the regular season, three in the conference...

Every game is a learning experience, for those who play and those who watch. Here's what we learned after the UConn women's 98-60 win over Tulsa at XL Center on Wednesday:

1. Long conference season: After winning all 21 conference games last year (18 in the regular season, three in the conference...

(John Altavilla)

But there has been much more to the Huskies lately than Mosqueda-Lewis. Since the overtime loss to Stanford on Nov. 17, the Huskies have won 12 straight and hardly tapped the brakes.

And it's likely to stay that way for the next two months when the Huskies will likely play only three games that will test them — Feb. 9 against No. 1 South Carolina and Jan. 18 and March 2 against South Florida, the only other AAC team even attracting votes in the polls.

"There are a lot of times when it's there," said Auriemma, referring to positive signs. "I don't think we are anywhere near where we want to be. But there are long stretches where we are getting closer to where I would like us to be at this point."

Sophomore Morgan Tuck and junior Moriah Jefferson have played at All-American levels in support of All-Americans Mosqueda-Lewis and Breanna Stewart.

"We're not exactly where we want to be as a team yet," Jefferson said. "But we are definitely on the right track as far as getting there."

Tuck scored 21 points in 20 minutes against Tulsa, shooting 10 of 12. On Sunday against St. John's, she scored 23, shooting 9 of 16.

Jefferson has never looked better.

Since a three-game slump that began with the win at Notre Dame, when she missed all eight of her shots from the field, Jefferson has been unstoppable. She scored 22 points Wednesday, making 8 of 9 from the field, 4 of 4 from three. She added five rebounds, four assists and four steals in 25 minutes.

In her past five games, Jefferson is 37-for-49 from the field (.775) and 13-for-16 (.813) on three-pointers. She has scored 96 points (19.2) with 22 assists, 20 steals and just nine turnovers in her last 150 minutes.

"The confidence level she has right now is such that it's allowing her to be as good as her talent," Auriemma said. "Each year, she has managed to grow as a player, to do more things to help the team. Right now, her confidence is such that she believes there is nothing she can't do."